Electric flash-sign.



No. 791,562. PATENTED JUNE 6, 1905. J. C. LION.

ELECTRIC FLASH SIGN.

APPLIGATION FILED 313.20. 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

Jam azzm,

Inventor.

Rttomegz:

No. 791,562. PATENTED JUNE 6, 1905. J. C. LION.

ELECTRIC FLASH SIGN.

APPLICATION FILED $313.20. 1905.

2 SKEETS-SHEET 2.

I Z072, Inventor.

Rctomess Witnesses UNITED STATES Patented June 6, 1905.

JOl-IN CHARLES LION, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

ELECTRIC FLASH-SIGN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 791,562, dated June 6, 1905.

Application filed February 20, 1905. Serial No. 246,566.

To a. 1.0700721 it Duty concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN CHARLES LION, a citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Electric Flash-Sign, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to switches of that general class employed for controlling the circuits of electric flash-signs wherein a given number of lamps are arranged within a suitable display-space and so connected that any desired number of the lamps may be lighted to display any letter or digit.

One of the principal objects of the invention is to provide a simple circuit closing mechanism of such nature that a rapid and perfectly simultaneous make and break of all lamp-circuits may be obtained and to reduce as far as possible the time between the break of one circuit and the closing of the next succeeding circuit.

A further object of the invention is to provide a switch in which little or no sparking will occur during the make and break of the circuits.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an electric switch for flash-signs of such nature that the reading of the sign may be readily altered by the employment of interchangeable commutator or circuit-closing bars.

l/Vith these and other objects in view, as will more fully hereinafter appear, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being under-.

stood that various changes in the form, proportions, size, and minor details of the structo re may be made without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of an electric switch constructed in accordance with the invention. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view of the same on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a diagram of the wiring connections. Fig. i is a detail perspective view of a portion of one of the circuit-closing bars. Fig. 5 is a similar view of one of the spring-contacts with which the bars engage in closing the circuit.

Similar numerals of reference are employed to indicate corresponding parts throughout the several figures of the drawings.

The various working parts of the switch are mounted on a suitable base 10, that preferably is formed of insulating material. Near each end of the base are standards 11, having bearing-openings for the reception of the end pintles or gudgeons 13 of a revoluble drum 14, the latter being formed of brass or some similar good conducting material. This drum is provided with a plurality of annular series of openings 16, that are evenly spaced throughout the circumference of the drum, and the openings, which are threaded, receive screws 17, the heads of which are arranged to enter countersunk recesses or slots 18, formed in the curved webs of commutator or circuitclosing bars 19. Each of the bars 19 has one web curved to conform to the contour of the drum and a second web from which project circuit-closing fingers 21, the number and arrangement of which are determined by the number of lamps in the display-space and the character of the letter or digit represented by said bar, it being understood that each of the bars is provided with fingers of such number and so related that when brought into play a certain letter or number will be flashed on the sign, and by providing bars of this character they may be readily interchanged in order to alter the wording of the sign. The drum is of a length corresponding to the greatest number of letters or numbers which the sign is to display at the same time, and the bars are arranged in sets of equal length, as shown, for instance, in Fig. 1.

The base is provided with standards 23, which serve as supports for an angle-bar 24. The vertical web of the angle-bar is provided with insulating-washers 25, through which pass screws 26, that serve as binding-posts for the wiresleading to the lamps and also serve as supports for spring-contacts 27, that are engaged by the fingers 21 in order to establish the circuits. Each of the contacts'27' is formed, 5 preferably, of a strip of brass that is bent to form a pair of convergent spring-fingers having flared upper edges to receive the fingers 21, and as the latter is moved between said spring-fingers a circuit is established from the carried wheel'by means of a spring 32. The ratchet-wheel 31 has anumber of teeth equal to that of the ratchet-wheel 30, and with but one exception the spaces between the teeth of the ratchet-wheel 31 are of such depth that a pawl 33, working in said teeth, will-not be allowed to engage the teeth of the ratchet-wheel 39 except when the pawl drops into the deeper 7 space, at which time the ratchet-wheel and drum will be moved to the extent of a singletooth.

opening for the reception of a shaft 34, having at one end a crank-disk 35, that carries a pawl 33, and this shaft is connected by gearing 37 to a small motor 38, that preferably is;

carried by the base-plate and connected in parallel with the light-mains.

In the operation of the device the motor operates the shaft 34, and the pawl 33 by engagement with the teeth of the ratchet-wheel 31 revolves the latter, and at the completion of each revolution of the ratchet-wheel 31 the.

pawl drops into engagement with one of the teeth of the ratchet-wheel 30, and at the next movement the drum is turned and the fingers 21 of the circuit-closing bars moved. from engagement with the contacts 27, and the fingers of the following bar almost instantly engage with the same or with difiierent clips in accordance with the character to be flashed on the sign. The movement of the pawl will be comparatively rapid, so that the forward movement of the drum is at such speed that arcing, due to making and breaking of the cir-.

cuit, will be practically eliminated and a perfectly simultaneous break and make is obtained of all of the circuits. The ratchetwheel 30 is held from rearward movement byv means of a suitable pawl 40.

By employing a machine of the character forming the subject of this invention it is not necessary that a special circuit-closing device be specially made for each sign. The ma-' chines may be made in quantity of a standard size, and the circuit-closing bars may alsov One of the end standards has a bearing-- be made in quantity and each bearing the character which it controls, so that with but little difficulty the bars may be interchanged in order to alter the reading of the sign in any manner desired.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is 1. In a device of the class specified, the combination with a plurality of contacts forming circuit-terminals, of a revoluble drum having a plurality of rows of threaded openings,

threaded screws arranged therein, and interchangeable bars, each of said bars being angular in cross-section and provided with a web arranged to follow the contour of the drum, said web being slotted for the reception of the screws,-and the remaining web beingcut away at intervals to form a plurality of tongues for engaging the-contacts.

2. In apparatus of the class described, the combination with a plurality of contacts forming circuit-terminals,of a revolubledrum, and interchangeable bars secured thereto, each of said bars being angular in cross-section and provided with a web arranged to follow the contour of the drum, the remaining web being cut away at intervals to form a plurality of tongues for engaging said contacts.

3. In adevice of the class described, the combination with a plurality of contacts forming circuit-terminals, of a revoluble drum, in-

.terchangeable bars carried thereby and provided with tongues for engaging the contacts, a ratchet-wheel connected to-the drum, a constantly-moving pawl for engaging and imparting a rapid movement to the drum, and

means for preventing operative contact between the pawl and the ratchet-wheel, except at intervals with relation to the movement of the pawl.

4. In adevice of the class described, the combination with a plurality of contacts forming circuit-terminals, of a revoluble drum, a plurality of bars arranged thereon and provided with tongues for engaging said contacts, a ratchet-wheel secured to the drum, a second loose ratchet-wheel of larger diameter than the first and provided at one point with a deep notch, and a pawl normally engaging the teeth of the loose ratchet-wheel and movable into engagement with the teeth of the smaller wheel when entered in said notch.

5. In a device of the class specified, aplurality of contacts forming circuit-terminals, a drum having circuit closing bars for engaging the terminals, a ratchet-wheel secured to the drum, a rapidly-moving pawl for engaging the ratchet-wheel and means for controlling engagement of the pawl with said ratchetwheel.

6. In a device of the class described, the combination with a plurality of contacts forming circuit-terminals, of a drum having circuit- OlOSll'lg bars for engaging said contacts, a

ratchet-Wheel secured to the drum, a second loose ratchet-Wheel of larger diameter than the first and provided With a deep notch, a motor, a crank-shaft driven by the motor, and a pawl receiving movement from the crank-shaft and normally engaging the teeth of the larger ratchet-wheel.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto afiixed my signature in the presence of tWo Witnesses.

JOHN CHARLES LIONP l/Vitnesses:

NORRIS N. HANsELL, LoUIs W. WIDMEIER. 

